EIK 5-1 GRAU-MANZI La Misericordia

Transcription

Ofelia MANZI y Patricia GRAU-DIECKMANN, The Chapel of La Misericordia
in the quarter of Flores, Buenos Aires
The Chapel of La Misericordia in the Quarter of Flores, Buenos Aires
La Capilla de La Misericordia en el Barrio de Flores, Buenos Aires
Ofelia MANZI
Universidad de Buenos Aires
[email protected]
Patricia GRAU-DIECKMANN
Inst. Superior del Profesorado Dr. Joaquín V. González, Buenos Aires
[email protected]
Recibido: 28/01/2014
Aceptado: 19/02/2014
Abstract: One of the most interesting areas of research of the Gothic Revival in Argentina is the
study of chapels built for the use of religious schools’ communities. Among these, the Chapel of La
Misericordia helped to determine the scope and characteristics of the neo-Gothic style in Argentina.
The windows are a recreation of the Gothic openings. Their decorative motifs derive from
Winchester style manuscripts, while the figures clearly show Pre-Raphaelite reminiscences. This
apparent aesthetic paradox conveys a message unchanged for centuries in a traditional medium
such as a neo-Gothic cover, although adapted to the sentimental sensitivity for a girls’ school
chapel. In this article we will focus on the iconographic analyses of the astounding stained-glass
windows crafted in the 1930s by the Tiroler Glasmalerei Anstalt of Innsbruck.
Key Words: Buenos Aires, neo-Gothic, iconography, stained-glass windows, Christian
message, Catholic young girls.
Resumen: Una de las áreas más interesantes dentro de la investigación del Revival
Gótico en la Argentina es la que estudia las capillas construidas para uso de los alumnos de
las escuelas católicas. En este sentido, la capilla de la Misericordia fue fundamental a la
hora de determinar el alcance y las características del estilo Neogótico en Buenos Aires.
Los vitrales son una recreación de las aperturas góticas. Sus motivos decorativos provienen
de los manuscritos iluminados con el estilo llamado “Winchester”, mientras que los
personajes muestran claras reminiscencias prerrafaelitas. Esta aparentemente paradoja
estética es ideal para la transmisión de un mensaje que tradicionalmente se encontraba
inserto en un medio puramente goticista, inalterable durante siglos y que, con el agregado
de la estética prerrafaelista, muy al gusto femenino, logró adaptarse a la sensibilidad que
debía reinar en la capilla de una escuela para niñas y señoritas. El estudio de la iglesia se
centrará básicamente en el análisis de los espléndidos vitrales fabricados en los años ’30
del siglo XX por la Tiroler Glasmalerei Anstalt de Innsbruck.
Palabras clave: Buenos Aires, neo-gótico, iconografía, vitrales, mensaje cristiano, muchachas
católicas.
Contents: 1. Antecedents. 2. Architecture. 3. Stained-Glass Windows. 3.1. The Education of
Young Mary. 3.2. Presentation of the Blessed Mary in the Temple. 3.3. The Annunciation. 3.4. The
Betrothal of the Virgin. 3.5. The Nativity of Jesus. 3.6. Presentation in the Temple. 3.7. Flight into
Egypt. 3.8. Jesus among the Doctors. 3.9. Jesus at the Carpenter’s Workshop. 3.10. The Wedding at
Cana. 3.11. Mary meets her Son on the cross. 3.12. Crucifixion. 3.13. Pentecost. 3.14. Virgin Mary
receives the Holy Communion. 3.15. The Death of the Virgin. 3.16. Angels Musicians. 3.17. Mary
Crowned by her Son. 3.18. The Immaculate Virgin. 4. Liturgical furniture. 5. Conclusion.
Eikón / Imago 5 (2014 / 1) ISSN-e 2254-8718
1
1. Antecedents
Unlike many Latin American cities graced with colonial buildings, the
architecture of Buenos Aires has taken its inspiration from Europe, mainly from
France. The city is nicknamed “The Little Paris” on account of hundreds of petits
hôtels that give it a Parisian appearance.
The rare neo-Gothic edifices were at first churches built by Anglo-Saxon
Protestants who arrived in Argentina over the first decades of the nineteenth
century. Neo-Gothic buildings merged into the urban landscape and were identified
with ethnic groups of immigrants —German and British— that held services at
those churches. By the end of this century, the neo-Gothic tendency also appeared
among Catholic churches. While Protestant churches had followed Anglo-Saxon
and German parish models, the neo-Gothic Catholic churches were built following
French Gothic models and, to a lesser degree, the Italian Gothic. The Gothic revival
became widespread during the early twentieth century, particularly in parish
churches and Catholic school chapels.
One of the most interesting areas of research on Argentina’s Gothic Revival is
the study of chapels built for the sole use of religious schools’ communities. These
understudied churches are located in several quarters of Buenos Aires, within
premises of private Catholic schools. Most of them have only been the subject of
reviews for internal use, published in brochures or Anniversary Books. A deeper
study of these chapels is invaluable to better understand the architectural trends that
define the peculiar profile of Buenos Aires, modified by the emergence of an
unfamiliar style that referred to the Middle Ages but adapted to contemporary uses
and necessities, and organized in accordance with the various traits of their
religious communities.1
The Chapel of La Misericordia (Our Lady of Mercy) helped determine the scope
and characteristics of the Argentine neo-Gothic style in “The Gothic Revival in
Argentina”, a research project by the University of Buenos Aires. The Chapel is
located in the very porteño quarter of Flores, about 4.5 miles (7 km) west from
downtown Buenos Aires. Originally, in the same plot there was an old Oratory
dedicated to the Annunciation to Virgin Mary,2 erected in 1871 next to a small
school ruled by the Daughters of our Lady of Mercy, an Italian religious Order
founded by Mother Josefa Roselló. This original building was demolished in 1936
and a new chapel took its place, instituted on November 10, 1937 with the
benediction of Dr. Santiago Copello, then Archbishop Cardinal of Buenos Aires.
The sponsors were the newly-elected President of Argentina Dr. Roberto M. Ortiz
and his wife.3 The neo-Gothic building was designed by architect Mario Cook and
built by León Vally and Co.
1
For further reading, see Francisco CORTI, Patricia GRAU-DIECKMANN and Ofelia MANZI,
Neogótico. Iglesias católicas, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Filosofía y Letras,
Instituto de Teoría e Historia del Arte “Julio E. Payró”, 2012.
2
The wooden statue of Virgin Mary and Saint Gabriel that used to be at the Main Altar was
removed after the remodeling of the building and placed in a new altar at right, with an
inscription in marble that reads “Verbum caro factum est” (The Word became flesh”).
3
The newspaper La Prensa, November 11th, 1937, informs about the event: “Se realizó ayer
2
Image 1: Façade with the names of the architect Cook and the builder Vally.
Image courtesy of the authors.4
Image 2: External view of the Misericordia Chapel, 1937.
2. Architecture
The building is visually dominated by one single tower crowning the left wing.
The exterior is unpretentious and presents a simple and straight outline that, except
for the visible pointed arches in the openings and the typical Gothic-like rosette (a
por la tarde la bendición e inauguración de la nueva Capilla de la Anunciación. (…) Crecida
concurrencia entre los que se hallaban sacerdotes de diversas Parroquias, autoridades de la
Congregación de Religiosas que dirigen el mencionado establecimiento y Superioras de otros
Colegios que también se hallan a cargo de las Hermanas de la Misericordia, invitados especiales
y fieles en general. Participaron del Acto el purpurado Cardenal Santiago Luis Copello que
entró acompañado de los rectores de las Parroquias de San José de Flores, Pbro. Luis Labbenne,
y de Santa Clara Pbro. Juan Stillo, del Capellán del Colegio Pbro. Pedro Bessero y otros
sacerdotes (…). Luego de la Ceremonia, el Cardenal Primado impartió la bendición con el
Santísimo (…). Mañana a las ocho habrá una Jornada Eucarística con Misa celebrada por el
Pbro. Juan José O’Toole…”.
4
The authors took all images.
3
symbol of divine perfection), does not clearly suggest the presence of the
architectural French neo-Gothic elements in its interior. Both internal and external
walls have been geometrically incised to imitate the texture of ashlar, a resource
widely used in Argentina to resemble more accurately the Gothic constructive
devices.5
The interior of the church has one central nave and two side aisles, the former
being twice the width of the latter, and separated from the aisles by wide arcades.
Over the side aisles there is a very luminous upper gallery. The nave is divided in
sections, defined by cross ribs of quadripartite vaults converging to fascicular
pillars composed of shafts that join to the ribs of the nave, transverse and cross
arches, and communicate both levels through said pillars.
Image 3: View of the cross ribbed quadripartite vaults.
The apse is polygonal and, as the rest of the building, follows the peculiar
articulation of the wall with roots in the French Gothic style. The ensemble of all
neo-Gothic factors is but a proof of the search for inspiration in the models of the
Gothic revival that has become a trademark of numerous such instances in
Argentina.
5
Ofelia MANZI, Patricia GRAU-DIECKMANN, “Gothic Revival en Argentina: The Church of San
Ildefonso”, Visual Resources, New Hampshire, London, March 2004, vol. XX, Nª 1, p. 51.
4
Image 4: View of the apse.
3. Stained-Glass Windows
The building’s most remarkable feature is the collection of stained-glass
windows of outstanding quality that cover the walls’ openings, placed after 1937
and financed by the students’ families. Their complex iconographic program is a
sample of how texts can be adapted to suitably communicate religious messages
through images. Thus, although produced relatively recently, we find a setting akin
to that of the Middle Ages, with attending stories told by colorful figures, their
condition of agents of communication areas bolstered by luminous properties that
confer a special quality to a space conceived as a materialization of the divine.
5
Image 5: Central rosette in the façade.
The rosette in the façade complements eighteen stained glass windows. They
were crafted by the Tiroler Glasmalerei und Mosaik-Ansalt (TGA) Company from
Innsbruck,6 a city that at the time of manufacture was under German rule. Four of
the stained glass windows carry the legend “Tyrol Facility / Innsbruck / Germany.”
The bright colors used in the fabrication of the windows, with a marked
predominance of blue, as well as the great plasticity of figure contour—while
medieval, clearly of Pre-Raphaelite inspiration—convey to the ensemble a truly
outstanding quality.
The iconography focuses on those scenes in the life of Christ where Mary plays
an important role (for instance, in the scenes of Jesus arguing with the Doctors or
The Wedding at Cana). The sustaining texts are, basically, the canonical gospels,
except for those exclusively related to the life of Mary and the domestic episode
where Jesus helps Joseph at the carpentry.7 It is notorious that women (Virgin Mary
6
This company, founded in 1861, takes up after the Austrian style of medieval stained glass. To
meet the growing demand for stained glass for the Americas, two additional Munich studies
(Franz Mayer and F. X. Zetler) joined the TGA and created, in 1884, a special style named
“American”. Undoubtedly, each set of windows were carefully planned and individually
designed for each buyer. As a consequence, the name of the company is always written in a
glass in the language of the country of destination. Furthermore, the Spanish word “tirolés”
(Tyrolean) is written with the accent symbol over the “e”, being that such a sign does not exist
in the German language.
7
The Book of James, the Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew, the Gospel of the Nativity of Mary, The
Account of St. John the Theologian, the Book of John of Thessaloniki and De transitu Beatae
Mariae Virginis auctore Pseudo-Josepho ab Arimathea, among others.
6
and St. Anne) have a leading role in all scenes, a relevant message to be
pragmatically understood by the young ladies attending the church’s services.
Image 6: Manufacturing Company of the stained-glass windows.
The scenes follow the same order, both on the first and the second floor, and
each row should be read from the left of the altar towards the façade, that is, from
South to North. There are seven stained glass windows in the east wall of the first
floor, and two more at both sides of the entrance; the east wall is blind. In the upper
gallery, seven stained-glass windows correspond to the lower ones, and in the east
wall there are only two scenes that represent the Virgin Mary in her glory. The
windows are topped by elements that resemble gables with crockets, and are
profusely decorated with acanthus leaves. These are elaborated versions, inspired in
Roman manuscripts of the School of Winchester, very popular during the twelfth
century in Germany and Austria. The distinctive style can be found en the
Benedictional of Saint Æthelwold (971-984, London, British Museum, Add. Ms.
49598) or at the top of the frame of the Letter from King Edgar for the New
Minister of Winchester (966-975, London, British Library, Cotton Ms. Vespasian
A. VIII, fol. 2 v.).8 These specimens display a remarkable richness of foliage
borders, which is also characteristic of this church’s stained glasses.
8
For images, see Louis GRODECKI, F. MÜTHERICH, J. TARALON, F. WORMALD, (1985), Le
siècle de l’An Mil, 950-1050, Paris, Gallimard, L’univers des formes, pp. 227/ss.
7
Image 7: Acanthus leaves
Characters have their own distinctive features throughout the episodes and
basically wear the same colors—St. Joseph wears a purple robe and mantle, except
for the carpenter’s yellow-ocher apron in the scene; as a boy, Jesus wears a lightcolored robe with pink-orange glitter; the Jewish priests, red robes with a miznefet
or bonnet of the same color. As for Mary, in the first scene she is depicted with a
blue robe, but from the Presentation at the Temple on to the rest of the scenes, she
wears a white robe and a blue brocade mantle. The technique used to achieve a
sense of translucent fabric to enhance the pleats consists of applying paint and
washing it, once dried, with acid, hence obtaining subtle and glassy unique colors.
Furthermore, the appearance and design of the haloes is maintained throughout the
scenes, the only variation being the different sizes of the concavities in the
ornamental patterns.
Outstandingly, all windows have been preserved in excellent conditions. From
the outside screens that keep birds away and deter occasional impacts protect them.
Nevertheless, a missing piece of red glass can be observed in Jesus’ mantle at the
Wedding of Cana, and under the Virgin’s chin and the perizoneum at the
Crucifixion.
3.1. The Education of Young Mary
In the right wing there is a single-fold stained glass depicting Mary as a little girl
being taught how to read by her mother Anne, who holds a phylactery that reads
“egredietur virga”(virga translates “stem”). It is the prophecy of Isaiah 11.1 “a
shoot shall grow from the stock of Jesse”,9 meaning that one descendant of Jesse,
father of King David, would be the Messiah. The palm tree in the background
reinforces symbolism. The two entwined trunks leaning on a pilaster at the house’s
corner refer to its late medieval iconography,10 a substitute for Jesse’s full
representation when space was lacking.
9
Jesse is the Hebrew name given in the Septuagint to Isai.
10
Louis RÉAU, (1996), Iconografía del Arte Cristiano, I, vol. 2: Iconografía de la Biblia –
Nuevo Testamento, Barcelona, Serbal, p. 134.
8
Image 8: St. Anne and young St. Mary.
It is noteworthy to observe the adherence to the gesticulation rules of preachers.
Documents describe a language of signs created by the Benedictines in the
Tractatulus solemnis de arte ed vero modo predicandi.11 Anne points at the
phylactery and raises the left hand, her palm halfway towards her daughter and
halfway towards the observer, meaning that she is speaking of sacred matters. Mary
crosses her arms over her chest, a gesture that indicates she receives the tutelage
with gentleness and modesty. This formal expression is a testimony of a deeply
rooted tradition in Western art, especially from the Renaissance on.
11
Michael BAXANDALL, (2000), Pintura y vida cotidiana en el Renacimiento, Barcelona, Gili,
p. 193.
9
Behind Mary, a bouquet of lilies—some flowered, some blooming—symbolize
Mary’s purity. This episode is not described in the canonical texts. The written
sources for the scenes of Virgin Mary’s life are the apocryphal Book of James and
the Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew, their nucleus dating back as early as the second
century, when oral stories were quite close to the actual facts and fulfilled the
curiosity of the members of the new religion. Therefore, it is not surprising that
non-canonical texts were still in vogue during the twentieth century, or that their
stories were included in scenes sanctioned by the Church.
Image 9: St. Mary climbing the stairs of the Temple.
3.2. Presentation of the Blessed Mary in the Temple
The thirteenth century’s Golden Legend by Jacobus de Voragine, who borrowed
it from the apocryphal Book of James, Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew, Gospel of the
Nativity of Mary and Armenian Infancy Gospel, among others, has popularized this
subject. When Mary turned three, her parents took her to Jerusalem’s Temple to
consecrate her to God. Texts indicate that, in spite of her age, she climbed the stairs
10
alone and did not turn her head for a last glance at her parents. She is welcomed by
Zacharias, who wears the red holy garments imposed by God for the Cohen Gadol
(High Priest) in Ex. 28:4—a breastpiece and apron (joshen and efod) with a girdle
(abnet), a tunic of checkered work (ketonet tashbetz), and a miter (mitznefet). The
Priest has a long white beard split in two, a distinctive and usual design in TGA’s
stained-glass windows.
Image 10: Detail of the head of St. Mary.
St. Anne notoriously plays an active role in the scene, delivering her child to the
High Priest. The eloquent gestures of the personages have different meanings—
obedience and piousness (St. Mary), deliverance and acceptance (St. Anne and
Zacharias respectively). The latter’s hands reflect everyday laical attitudes
translated into the iconography of sacred scenes.12
The upper trefoil shows the heads of three small blond children. They are the
Vadelli girls, whose family financed the whole stained glass window and for that
reason were granted the honor to place a portrait of their offspring.
3.3. The Annunciation
There is an alteration in the chronological order of the story in the stained glass
windows placement, as the Annunciation should come after the wedding of Mary
and Joseph. We can presuppose that kits came from Europe to be assembled on site
by workers with experience in stained glass, but with little knowledge of sacred
history.
The trefoil reads “ECCE ANCILLA DOMINI,” meaning “Behold the handmaid
of the Lord” (Luke 1:38). St. Gabriel addresses Mary by raising his hand in oratio,
an indication of the sacredness of the message he is about to convey,13 and holds a
12
Ibidem, pp. 93/95.
13
Ibidem, pp. 90 and 190. Quote from Espejo del mundo, c. 1527, quoted in W.S. HOWELL,
(1956), Logic and Rhetoric in England 1500-1700, Princeton, pp 89-90.
11
spike with lilies, a symbol of Mary’s virginity. The gesture, of Roman origin, is
described by Quintilian in his Institutes of Oratory14 and was transformed by
Christian iconology into a means to communicate the word of God. Occasionally, it
became the sign for blessing and differed in theological meaning for the Eastern
and Western Churches.
The Holy Ghost, represented as a white dove entirely encircled by a halo, casts
upon the ecstatic maiden a golden ray representing the exact moment of the
Incarnation. Saint Mary’s hands are crossed over her bosom in a gesture of
obedience (humiliatio). In his Sermones de laudibus sanctorum, Fra Roberto
Caracciolo da Lecce—a preacher of the late fifteenth century—describes this
receptive attitude as one of the five successive body postures of the spiritual and
psychological condition of Mary when Gabriel makes his announcement. The
different attitudes of the Virgin during the Annunciation are conturbatio (disquiet),
cogitatio (reflection), interrogatio (inquiry), humiliatio (humble acceptance) and
meritatio (intimate joy). 15
3.4. The Betrothal of the Virgin
The trefoil reads: “CONSTITUIT EUM DOMINUM DOMUS SUAE, meaning
“He made him lord of his house” (Psalm 105:21). An omitted versicle completes
the sentence: “and prince of all his possessions.” Both phrases belong to the
Litanies of Saint Joseph, a very adequate quotation for the wedding scene to be
glanced at by young ladies attending mass in the 1930’s.
Joseph places the ring on Mary’s middle finger, and holds a bundle of lilies in
his hand—a reference to the bloomed rod that miraculously favored him as husband
of the Virgin—, but it is also a distinct allusion to the triple virginity of Mary
(Maria fuit Virgo post connubium, Virgo post conceptum, Virgo post partum), a
dogma since the Lateran Council of 649. The story, told in the apocryphal gospels
Book of James and Protoevangelium, was a clear copy of Aaron’s appointment as a
High Priest (Numbers 17:23). Joseph is shown as a handsome young man, a
contrast to the once-customary white-bearded old man. After the CounterReformation, the emphasis placed on Mary’s absolute virginity made it unnecessary
to depict Joseph as an aged man incapable of procreating.16 His role was passive
and insignificant until Renaissance preachers made him a popular persona and,
finally, Franciscan Pope Sixtus IV (1471-1484) decreed that March 19 was to be
the feast of St. Joseph.17
14
Jean P. ANTOINE, (1993), “Mémoire, lieux et invention spatiale dans la peinture italienne des
XIIIe et XIV siècles”. In Annales, Paris, nov/dec,
pp. 1447/ss. Available in
http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/27584572?uid=3737512&uid=2129&uid=2&uid=70&ui
d=4&sid=21102851565791 (last visit 10/31/2013).
15
BAXANDALL, op. cit., pp. 69/79.
16
It was accepted that Joseph was over eighty and Mary barely fourteen when they married
(RÉAU, op. cit., I, vol.4, p. 162).
17
Joseph became gemma mundi, nutritor Domini. In fact, the actual legend relates that from the
rod flew a white dove, pictorially represented as a branch with white flowers. The story, told in
the apocryphal books Gospel of James and Gospel of Pseudo Mathew and is clearly a copy of
the appointment of Aaron, brother of Moses, as High Priest (Nm17:8: “The next day Moses
12
Image 11: The wedding of Mary and Joseph.
A thurifer young boy incenses during the rite. Jewish clergy was familiar with
the use of incense in their ceremonies by God’s mandate. The Old Testament as
well as the New Testament mention its use “Once when Zacharias’s division was
on duty and he was serving as priest before God, he was chosen by lot to go into
the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And when the time for the burning of
incense came, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of
the altar of incense” (Luke 1:8-11). “Another angel, who had a golden censer,
came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers
of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. The smoke of the incense,
together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel’s hand.”
(Revelation 8:3-4).
In the faraway landscape behind the Virgin, there appears an intriguing and rare
diminutive image of two roughly-sketched men with shepherd staves, standing in
front of buildings resembling Jerusalem’s architecture.
entered the tent and saw that Aaron’s staff, which represented the tribe of Levi, had not only
sprouted but had budded, blossomed and produced almonds”.
13
3.5. The Nativity of Jesus
Image 12: Nativity of Jesus.
This is another of the windows that bear the name of the manufacturers. The
upper inscription reads "GLORIA IN EXCELSIS" taken from Luke 2:15 that
begins the story of the Adoration of the Shepherds, depicted on the left side of the
stained glass window. The youngest shepherd has, unusually, a Tyrolean hat. In the
sky, the star points with its ray of light the place where is the Child.
Image 13: The shepherds worshipping the Child
14
3.6. Presentation in the Temple
The corresponding versicle is “TUAM Animam PERTRANSIBIT Gladius” (“A
sword will pierce your soul”, Lu 2:35).
The Virgin is kneeling in a pew and watches Jesus being held in display by
Simeon (haloed and clothed as a priest of the temple). According to the Book of
James (24:4), Simeon had taken the place of Zechariah, father of John the Baptist,
after his death. At both sides of the scene, are the prophetess Anna and St. Joseph,
respectively, holding a cage with two doves, an offering of the poor to the Temple.
Image 14: Jesus is presented in the Temple.
15
3.7. Flight into Egypt
Image 15: The Flight to Egypt.
The inscription reads “EX Aegypto FILIUM VOCAVI MEUM / MATTH . 15”.
The scene shows Joseph leading the donkey by the bridle. He wears, once more, the
violet tunic and the golden mantle he used at the scene of the wedding though now
they fit his legs like pants. He wears red boots and a red hat, typical of the pilgrims
to Santiago de Compostela. On his left shoulder he carries an ax from which hangs
a bundle. A pictorial tradition instituted during the twelfth century has St. Joseph
turn his head to watch Mary and the Child following him in a donkey. The Virgin
holds Jesus very tightly and their faces touch, in a warm gesture of tenderness. In
the representation of the headdress of Mary, both in the Nativity and here, the
designer abandons the aesthetics of the Old Testament and displays Pre-Raphaelite
parameters.
In the path, curiously, a small bright red snake flees before the passage of
Mary.18
18
For Pre-Raphaelite aesthetics and images, see HAWKSLEY, Lucinda, Essential PreRaphaelites, Bath, Parragon, 1999.
16
3.8. Jesus among the Doctors
Image 16: Jesus among the Doctors.
This is one of the two scenes that flank the main door and both depict Jesus as a
grown-up boy in two different perspectives—full of wisdom and as an obedient
son. The trefoil reads “ERAT SEDENS INTER MAGISTROS / LUC 2.46” (“sitting
among the doctors, Luke 2:46”) and is one of two related scenes—when Jesus is
lost in Jerusalem (one of the Seven Sorrows of the Virgin) and when he is found by
his parents among the doctors (one of the Seven Joys). It is the last episode of the
infancy of Jesus, before he withdraws from public ministry for several years.
According to traditional iconography, he is standing barefoot on a wooden
platform, while the doctors stare at him in amazement. They hold the codex Jesus
had used as a symbol of the new messianic era, and their roll (they had kept the
tradition of writing sacred texts in rolls) lies on the floor, discarded, by Jesus’ feet.19
19
RÉAU, op. cit., I, vol.2, p. 305 ss.
17
Jesus had a first manifestation as a teacher and preached for the first time. The
incident occurred when Jesus was twelve, a meaningful age in Jewish tradition —
Moses parted from his family at twelve, Daniel revealed himself at this age, and
Salomon became king of the United Kingdom of Israel and Juda. Furthermore, the
number twelve carries a deep-rooted symbology, and is the result of multiplying
three (the Trinity, hence, the divine sphere) by four (the world: the four rivers of
Paradise, the four Evangelists, the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, the Four
Elements, the four Cardinal Points). The result refers to the Twelve Tribes of Israel,
the twelve Prophets, the twelve Sibyls, the twelve stars crowning the Woman of
John’s Apocalypse, the twelve Signs of the Zodiac.
By the time TGA manufactured these stained glass windows, the symbolism of
the scene probably held a long-forgotten connotation. In spite of the forlorn
meaning, it is noteworthy that the iconographic elements were kept intact for so
long.
3.9. Jesus at the Carpenter’s Workshop
Chronologically, this scene should have been placed before Jesus’ discussion
with the Jewish doctors, as the boy looks younger and his hair is shorter. Legend
says that he learned his father’s trade while living in Egypt and the palm tree might
be an indication of their whereabouts. Mary spins thread while sitting on a sort of
dais that enhances her importance as custodian of the child. The inscription reads:
“SUBDITUS ERAT ILLIS / LUC 2.51” (“and was subject to them,” Luke 2:51).
This is a versicle that has been traditionally applied to the submission of Jesus to
her parents, pictorially reflected in the humble attitude of Jesus handling a tool to
Joseph.
The scene would certainly be inspiring for the young pupils who had to be
“subject” and obedient to their parents, as well as their teachers.
3.10. The Wedding at Cana
In the stained glass windows of the first floor in the left wing, the trefoils do not
carry any allusive versicles. Nonetheless, the scenes can be easily recognized, as
they depict well-known iconographical elements. Mary’s intercession in favor of
the newly married is but one of the many episodes that converge on the last stained
glass window that depicts the glorification of St. Mary as mother of the Savior,
shown in glorious celestial triumph. This is the first public miracle of Jesus (John
2:1-11) and it is considered one of the four Epiphanies,20 all of them celebrated by
early Christians on January 6. Jesus and his mother attend a wedding in the town of
Cana and when the hosts run out of wine, Jesus miraculously turns the water in the
vessels into an excellent wine.
In olden times, in the Aegean Islands and in Anatolia, Turkey, a festival in honor
of Dionysus, the Greek god who turned water into wine, used to be celebrated on
January 6.21 Probably the substitution of a Christian festivity for the pagan one
20
From the Greek epiphaneia, manifestation. It the manifestation of Christ as God, being the
other three The Adoration of the Shepherds, the Adoration of the Kings and The Baptism of
Christ.
21
Rudolf BULTMANN, (1962), Das Evangelium des Johannes, p. 83, quoted in Uta RANKE-
18
explains the peculiarity of Christ’s first miracle. Traditionally, two consecutive
instances are represented in the same scene—Jesus blessing the vessels, and the
butler approving the wine’s quality. Pictorially, the liquid poured by a servant, half
white and half red, represents the transformation of water into wine.
The bride and the groom wear gold crowns of flowers and laurel, respectively. In
866, Pope Nicholas I described the rites of marriage in the Latin Church as
including the “coronation on leaving the church” (Post haec autem de Ecclesia
egressi coronas in capitibus gestant).22 The meaning was that couples were
sovereigns of their own homes. Nowadays, the coronation is still part of the Greek
rite, while the Western Church has abandoned it.
3.11. Mary meets her Son on the cross
In one side of this stained glass window outstands the delicate painting work on
the suffering face of Christ, showing a high drawing quality that simply uses a few
delicate yellow-ocher hues. In the opposite side, Mary, fingers gracefully
intertwined, is close to a soldier wearing an arbitrary recreation of a Roman
uniform and who is dragging Christ with a rope.
3.12. Crucifixion
This is another of the signed stained glass windows. Two lines are written with
ocher letters over a yellow background: "ESTABL. TYROLEAN / INNSBRUCK,
GERMANY ".
Under a sky with very dark clouds and a slight glow indicating the proximity of
the sunset, St. John Evangelist holds the Virgin in her grief at her dead Son. In the
right panel, Christ crucified occupies almost all available space, in marked contrast
with the small size of the other figures, especially the Roman soldier who, arm
raised, occupies about a quarter of the height of the Crucified. This minute Roman
soldier (about one-fourth the size of Christ) with a lance, submits to John’s words
“But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break
his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and blood and
water immediately came out.” (Jn. 19: 33-34). Matthew mentions “When the
centurion and those guarding Jesus with him saw the earthquake and the other
things that were taking place, they were terrified and said, ‘This man certainly was
the Son of God!’” (Mt.25:54). The soldier and the centurion were merged by the
collective imagination into one, the poor-sighted centurion St. Longinus, whose
name comes from the Greek longké, lance, and who was cured of his eye affection
by a drop of blood from Jesus. He became a Christian saint and his presumedly
conserved lance, has been object of many mystical legends.
HEINEMANN, (1995), Putting away childish things, San Francisco, Harper, Chapter 6.
Furthermore, RÉAU, op. cit., vol.2, p. 378 refers that the transformation of water into wine took
place annually in the island of Andros.
22
Louis DUCHESNE, (1949), Christian Worship. Its origin and evolution. A study of the Latin
liturgy up to the time of Charlemagne, London, Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, pp.
429/433.
19
Image 17: John the Evangelist comforts St. Mary.
Image 18: Christ crucified
3.13. Pentecost
The written source is Acts 2:1-4 “Now when the day of Pentecost had come, they
were all together in one place. (…) and tongues spreading out like a fire appeared
to them and came to rest on each one of them. All of them were filled with the Holy
Spirit, and they began to speak in other languages as the Spirit enabled them”.
Virgin Mary and the eleven apostles are shown with small flames on their heads.
The Holy Spirit, represented as a white dove, is above Mary’s head and has a
remarkable small red halo, and irradiates beams of light from all its body. Virgin
Mary is in the center of the scene and some of the apostles can be identified, Peter
with his keys, James the Great because of his close likeness to Jesus’ features (they
were cousins and James is represented resembling Him, but older), John by his
blond long hair and his youth.
It is noteworthy that most personages show their beards with the end split in two,
a characteristic of the Tiroler Glasmalerei und Mosaik-Ansalt.
20
Image 19: The Virgin and the Apostles at Pentecost.
3.14. Virgin Mary receives the Holy Communion
Mary receives the Holy Communion from the hands of St. John the Evangelist.
This iconographical subject is not very frequent and did not appeal to the artists.
Representations of the Virgin Mary receiving the Holy Communion appear first in
early sixteenth century in France and Germany as a result of Martin Luther’s
negative attitude towards the Sacraments. The Council of Trent (1545-1563)
sanctioned and recommended its iconography as propaganda adversus Lutheranos.
3.15. The Death of the Virgin
The Passing of Mary is also variously known as the Departure, Koimesis, The
Falling Asleep of the Holy Mother of God, Dormition, and Assumption. Over
seventy apocryphal manuscripts written between the fourth and sixth centuries
describe the last days of Mary and her passing away. The merging of several
documents from different dates and origins produced the popular Transit of the
Blessed Virgin Mary. Its original nucleus was The Account of St. John the
Theologian of the Falling Asleep of the Holy Mother of God, written shortly before
the Byzantine emperor Maurice (582-602) issued a decree declaring August 15 to
be the Virgin Mary’s Assumption Day.23
According to legend, Jesus himself took Mary to Paradise both in soul and body.
Before her Dormition, all the apostles—including those who were already dead—
were carried to her deathbed. The implicit message was closely related to the
primitive Christian iconography depicted on sarcophagi and catacomb walls to
23
Antonio PIÑERO, (1993), Fuentes del Cristianismo – Tradiciones primitivas sobre Jesús, El
Almendro, Córdoba, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, pp. 448/ss, and Los Evangelios
Apócrifos, (2002), Madrid, Biblioteca de Autores Cristianos. Forewords by Aurelio de SANTOS
OTERO.
21
remind the pious that eternal salvation was attainable. The Virgin’s death is a lesson
to be followed, expressed by the ideal of the late Middle Ages Ars Moriendi or
“The Art of Dying Well,” that condensed the early Christian formula of the
Ecclesia, “What you have done for the faithful, O Lord, do as well for me”.24
Image 20: The Dormition of the Virgin.
By her deathbed, four apostles pray to help her in her transit. The service is
celebrated by John the Divine wearing priest garments and holding a cross. Close to
Mary are the crown of thorns and three nails of Jesus’ Passion. She is sitting on her
bed, according to the Western iconography on the subject.
24
Ofelia MANZI, (1996), “La imagen cristiana, algunos problemas estilísticos e iconográficos en
el arte tardoantiguo”, El hilo de Ariadna. Del tardoantiguo al tardomedioevo, Rosario, Homo
sapiens. For further reading about the subject, see the Ordo Commendationis Animae in Gérald
GASSIOT-TALABOT, (1968), Pintura romana y paleocristiana, Madrid, Aguilar, p. 117.
22
3.16. Musician Angels
Two wingless angels play zither and violin respectively. The decoration at the
bottom of the stained glass is totally different from the previous ones, as this one is
absolutely geometrical. This glass seems to have been fabricated by a different
company. The name of the famous Argentine stained glass manufacturer Estruch
has been mentioned by some of the older nuns, but there is no proven evidence of
his intervention, whatsoever.
3.17. Mary Crowned by her Son
Image 21: Virgin Mary crowned by Jesus Christ.
There are only two stained glass windows in the western wall of the second
floor, and both are close to the apse. Adjacent to the church and sharing part of the
wall is the school building. Both communicate by a small and rather hidden door.
The episode of the coronation of the Virgin is hinted at in The Account of St.
John the Theologian of the Falling Asleep of the Holy Mother of God. Voragine
23
fully developed the subject by having Christ sing to his mother “Come, my chosen
one, and I will set you upon my throne (…) thou shalt be crowned”. 25
On the left panel, Mary, perennially young—almost a girl—is crowned by her
son while the Holy Spirit approaches, represented as a dove with a tine red halo. On
the right panel God the Father gives his blessing, two small angels at his feet. The
whole scene is set against a cosmic backdrop with characters surrounded by clouds,
amidst numerous minute golden stars.
3.18. The Immaculate Virgin
Image 22: The Immaculate Virgin.
The Virgin Mary was miraculously conceived without sin when her sterile
parents Anna and Joachim embraced at the Golden Gate of Jerusalem. She was
chosen previous to her birth and was conceived in eternity, even before Eve (Prov.
25
Jacobus de VORAGINE, (1995), The Golden Legend, Princeton, Princeton University Press,
vol. 2, pp. 80-81.
24
8:22). The story is told in several apocryphal gospels —The Gospel of James, The
Gospel of Pseudo Matthew, The Gospel of the Nativity of Mary and The Armenian
Infancy Gospel— and popular devotion celebrated the feast long before Pious IX
declared the Immaculate Conception dogma in 1854. However, previous popes had
already shown their intention for legitimating it. Mary’s purity was acclaimed by
the Council of Trent (1545/1563), when it was also declared that Mary ascended to
Heaven in soul and body.
The Virgin, represented as the Immaculate Conception, wears a white gown
and a blue mantle and appears floating amidst clouds and angels while glancing
down upon the earth. This iconography was contaminated by the apocalyptical
woman of Revelation 12:1 and Mary was sometimes surrounded by Mariological
attributes taken from the Litany of Loreto. There was a close but confusing
connection between the images of the Immaculate Conception and the
Assumption and, by the end of the sixteenth century, the Glorification of the
Virgin had incorporated the iconography of the apocalyptic woman, and both of
the above mentioned advocations of Mary—garments, stars, clouds, putti and her
uplifted glance.
This last window represents the summit of the cycle of the Virgin of Merci (“La
Misericordiosa”), patroness of the church. Mary is represented in her full glory,
crowned by the twelve stars of the apocalyptical woman that remind us of the
twelve apostles gathered around her deathbed. She radiates rays from her body and
wears a white robe and a blue mantle. Her arms are crossed over her bosom and at
her feet there are two putti holding flowers and the palm branch delivered by St.
Gabriel at the announcement of her quietus: “I have brought you a palm branch
from paradise, and you are to have it carried before your bier. Three days from
now you will be assumed from the body, because your Son is waiting for you.”26 On
the third day after her Dormition, the Lord came with a multitude of angels to carry
her in soul and body to Heaven. Voragine describes her as being glorified by her
son: “Arise, my dear one, my dove, tabernacle of glory (…). Thereupon Mary’s
soul entered her body, and she came forth glorious from the monument and was
assumed into the heavenly bridal chamber, a great multitude of angels keeping her
company”. 27
On the left panel, two angels pay homage to our Lady—one staring fixedly at her
and holding a staff of white lilies. The other plays the harp and, interestingly,
directs his glance at the beholder, thus engaging the observer into an ongoing
worship of Mary in her glory.
4. Liturgical furniture
In 1943 the relics of the founder of the Order and other holy martyrs are placed
in the chapel.28 Nowadays, in the left wall next to the main altarpiece, next to the
26
VORAGINE, op. cit., vol. 2, p. 78
27
Ibidem, vol. 2 , pp. 81/83.
28
The corresponding document reads “En Buenos Aires, el día trece de agosto del año del Señor
de mil novecientos cuarenta y tres, el Altar Mayor de la Capilla de la Anunciación (Directorio
25
entrance to the school, there is a plaque with the inscription “Beata Ma. Ludovica
1880-1962”.
The Walcker organ (with over 180 pipes, double keyboard and pedalboard) was
brought from Germany and installed in 1948. Johan Eberhard Walcker created the
company in 1780 in Cannstatt, near Stuttgart. It has provided organs of excellence
to countless churches, such as St. Peter's Church in St. Petersburg, Russia, and the
Cathedral of St. Stephan in Vienna, Austria. The community of La Misericordia is
very proud of possessing one of such treasured organs.
Image 23: The Walcker organ
2118) [es] dedicado a la Santísima Virgen de la Misericordia incluyendo el mismo las Reliquias
de los santos mártires Alejandro, Genaro y Severino, y la de la Beata María Josefa Rosselló.
Luego de la consagración concedí a todos los fieles que visitaren el Altar Mayor en el día de
hoy, un año de indulgencia y a los que visitaren el Altar el día del aniversario de la consagración
concedí cien días de la misma indulgencia según la forma que acostumbra la Santa Iglesia. A
perpetua Memoria de esta Acta - Antonio Rocca Obispo de Augusta y Vicario General – P. Juan
José O’Toole Gilardi 2º Asistente – P. Héctor Gilardi 1er Asistente.”
26
Image 24: A close view of the main altar.
5. Conclusion
Because of its external profile, wall articulation and lighting, the Chapel of La
Misericordia is an interesting example among the group of buildings constructed
according to the guidelines of the Gothic revival. Such features are critical to
emphasize harmony of dimensions and beauty of materials, all of which contribute
to the undeniable artistic worth of the collection. The building itself is beautiful and
proportionate, but what imparts to the temple its true sheen and preeminence is the
presence of the stained glass windows, deemed by experts to be glazed gems, both
for their design and gamut as well as for their pristine condition.
27
Although the images are but recreations of well-established iconography, one
cannot deny the impact they must have had on students as original works of art
teeming with colors and detail. These images were part of a down-to-earth
ensemble, as is the reproduction of a medieval church, thus transforming
significance into a timeless message. In most instances, a textual reminder in the
form of a scroll or title crowns the stained glass window. Were they aware of the
source? Probably. The young ladies of the educated Argentine middle class held
long reading sessions over sacred stories, and what did not appear in canonical texts
was either narrated in religious books or known through oral tradition. Unlike the
population in other large Latin American cities, the inhabitants of Buenos Aires
take pride in keeping close ties to their European heritage. There is no trace or
vestige of aboriginal influence, all but absent in the Argentine territory, except for
the northern provinces close to the Incan imprint of Colonial heyday.
The reading of a stained glass window brings about a manner of communication
with plain and simple syntax—few personages, minimal but meaningful gestures,
essential and outstanding iconographical information. The meaning of the scenes
remains unchanged after so many years and the message that was relevant in the
1940s still applies. Whether from written or oral sources, both the messages and the
iconography date back to early Christianity. A compelling model to follow, stories
repeated a thousandfold and guidance on what to expect in the afterlife —they all
linger on, albeit through models adapted to contemporary social taste and to our
novel ability for interpreting and translating images.
The illumination of manuscripts moved on to a different media, stained glass.
Yet, it survived this transformation by adapting and becoming itself a frame of a
scene. Images, precepts, cultural legacy and amusing allusions from the ritualistic
and deeply-religious Middle Ages thus converged onto new images, to be
reinterpreted by pious girls educated to become the new Virgin Maries, models of
virtue, perfect homemakers and mothers.
28

EIK 5-1 GRAU-MANZI La Misericordia

Transcription

Similar documents

the vancouver celebration

XIII International Workshop on Urethral Reconstruction

Brochure

Prayer to Mary, Undoer of Knots

PDF of project data sheet.

ZZK Records

Know Before You Go Buenos Aires

Descargar - IFHE 2014 Buenos Aires

Family Support Changes Lives - Guided Pathways–Support for